Necromancy
Profane Path
Necromancy was a profane path and not true magic.
Necromancy was a grim profane path that promised mastery and defeat over the finality of death. Users of necromancy, called necromancers, were characterized by their armies of animated dead and the ability to wield death itself as a weapon against the souls of their enemies. Those tempted by the powers of necromancy usually wished to find ways to bring back those who had been lost to death, or the ability to survive the terminal truth of expiration.
Necromancy was also referred to as death magic, soul magic, or essence magic. Its practitioners were equally known as death mages, soul mages, and essence mages.
The Pursuit of Necromancy #
An invididual would usually begin down the path of necromancy because of the potential held by Lichdom or Animakinesis. To begin, the profane caster would first need to establish a patronage of sorts with a potent source of Evil. Without a wellspring of profane energy, necromancy had no power. Most necromancers achieved this connection through communion with the voices that whispered from Demonium.
Circles of Necromancy #
First Circle #
Corpse Puppeteering #
Necromancers could infuse dead bones with the semblance of life. Similar to creating an automaton or writing software, necromancy was highly specific in terms of how a reanimated corpse could behave.
To reanimate a corpse, necromancers would have to enact a special ritual, conjuring an ephemeral glowing mauve disk overtop the target of reanimation. Upon the disk, the necromancer could inscribe a series of blasphemous runes that dictated how the corpse would behave. These runes behaved similar to "if and" statements found in computer code. Naturally, even if necromantic coding dictated an undead entity to behave a certain way, the anatomical capacity of the corpse was a limiting factor.
More skilled necromancers could write more complex necromantic code at a quicker rate. Additionally, necromancers would usually store necromantic code within a grimoire to quickly trace it over a corpse without having to commit the code to memory.
The greatest necromancer, Pitch, was able to create an entire military force using bones plundered from the Corgathian catacombs.
Typically, necromancers began their training by reanimating small mammals or amphibians, like frogs or squirrels, and attempting to make them behave like their living counterparts. Advanced necromancers explored stitching the skeletons of multiple creatures together into original designs for maximum combat efficacy, although writing necromantic code for such creations was complex and often frustrating.
Corpse Puppeteering and Imps
The demonic sword-fodder known as Imps were imbued with a false, untrue life not unlike the unholy power that animated the corpses puppeteered by a necromancer. In fact, a necromancer could actually bind an imp to their service by overwriting the demonic seal on their faceplate with their own necromantic code.
During their study of the first captured necromancers, the Arcane Hand speculated that necromancy might be intrinsically tied to how the Ultimate Evil originally created both imps and Nephilim.
Accelerated Death #
Almost like the opposite of Biomancy, necromancers could curse a wounded, ill, or otherwise unwell being, causing their conditions to worsen until they eventually succumbed.
Second Circle #
Anti-Essence Attacks #
Necromancers could unleash demonic energy as projectiles, which could directly flay the soul of a target without causing physical wounds. Most necromancers would use this power to kill creatures without harming their bodies, preserving their use as undead servitors.
As necromancers increased in their power, they found unique ways of manifesting their soul-rending forces. Some could conjure ethereal blades while others saturated an area with an unholy mist.
Third Circle #
Soul Severance #
The dreaded power of severing souls was one of the most fearsome things a necromancer could do. By invoking the power of Evil, a necromancer could tear a soul from a mortal's body, not unlike the powers of a memitim. Particularly powerful necromancers could do this in a wide area, effectively killing entire cities in a single sweep.
This itself wasn't true death however, instead providing a mortal death while the spirit of the being roamed free (unless bound to the necromancer through Soul Puppeteering.)
The Remnants of Nokkville
Remnants were created through the wide-scale soul severance of the people of Nokkville during the start of The Battle of Nokkville.
Creatures without souls (non-sapient mortals) could not be harmed through this power.
Soul Puppeteering #
Like corpse puppeteering, soul puppeteering allowed a necromancer to turn the disembodied essence of a mortal sapient into a willing servitor. The necromantic code needed to overwrite the will of a soul was considerably more complex, but the results were far more impressive. Dominated souls that fought at the behest of their necromantic master had the ability to harm the souls of other creatures just like the necromancer's Anti-Essence Attacks.
Powerful necromancers usually coupled soul puppeteering with corpse puppeteering: a single mortal provided both a corporeal and incorporeal entity to dominate.
Lichdom #
Lichdom was a challenging feat that served as a way for a profane caster to circumvent the conclusion of life that was death. By currying favour with the forces of Evil, a necromancer had a chance at returning to life after being slain.
During their life, a necromancer pursuing lichdom would listen closely to the whispers of the Evil One (usually through a Demonium artifact), and follow its instructions in an attempt to please the voices heard. If enough of the voice's demands were met, the necromancer could be blessed with undeath following their passing.
Once a lich, the necromancer was ageless but not immortal. Liches were walking corpses and were as revolting as such. Although their flesh would rot away and their bones would become brittle, they could not die from old age. However, misadventure--through battle or through accidents brought on by their decaying bodies--could lead to their second death. Only by once again satisfying the spirit of Evil could a lich return from death a second time. This was a true challenge, since the demonic patrons of a lich had crueler and loftier demands than in the lich's life.
Of the two necromancers who achieved lichdom on Legere, Belial ben Hasid and the Dark Lord Pitch, only the former was able to come back from death a second time.
Fourth Circle #
Animakinesis #
A true master of necromancy could command the souls of both the living and dead. A necromancer could easily bring anyone back from death, kill any living being at a glance, or even move souls between bodies.
By conjuring up the souls of those who had died, a necromancer could learn all manner of secret knowledge from Legere's past.